Early History
Like the other Caribbean islands, Trinidad was colonized by Europeans. What makes Trinidad’s colonial past unique is that it was colonized by the Spanish and later by the English, and also had a large influx of French immigrants. As a result, the earliest calypso songs were not sung in English but in French-Creole, sometimes called patois.
African slaves were brought to Trinidad to work on the sugar plantations and were forbidden to communicate with one another. As a result, they began to sing songs that originated from West African kaiso, as well as from drumming and stick-fighting songs. The song lyrics were used to make fun of the upper class and the slave owners, and the rhythms of calypso centered on the steel drum, which rival groups used to beat out cadences.
Calypso tunes were sung during competitions each year at Carnival, led by chantwells. Chantwells led masquerade bands in call and response singing in calypso tents. Calypso tents are still a part of today’s carnival in Trinidad as a place where new music is featured.
Calypso's Golden Age
The chantwells became known as calypsonians, and the first calypso record was produced in 1914 by Lovey’s String Band. Calypso music began to move away from the call and response method to more of a ballad style and the lyrics were used to make sometimes humorous, sometimes stinging, social and political commentaries.
During the mid and late 1930’s several standout figures in calypso emerged such as Atilla the Hun, Roaring Lion, and Lord Invader and calypso music moved onto the international scene. Two classics that came from this period were Atilla the Hun’s “Graf Zepplin”, about the famous airship coming to Trinidad in 1933, and Roaring Lion’s “Ugly Woman”, later showcased in a Hollywood musical.
The 1930’s and 1940’s saw the production of other calypso standards which continued the tradition of social commentary. The 1937 hit “Edward VIII” by Lord Caresser dealt with the scandal of the day, England’s King Edward VIII abdicating the throne to marry the American divorcee Wallis Simpson. The 1946 record “Brown Skin Gal” by King Radio criticized the presence of American servicemen in Trinidad, who fathered children with local women and left the babies behind.
During the 1940’s a powerhouse figure in calypso emerged in the form of Lord Kitchener. He dominated the genre for over thirty years and produced calypso up until his death in 2000. Memorable hits include “Pan in A Minor”, “Trouble in Arima”, and “Mama Dis is Mas”.
Calypso Goes Mainstream
Calypso gained commercial appeal in the United States in 1956 with the release of the Calypso album by the Bahamian singer and actor Harry Belafonte. This album featured Belafonte’s version of the “Banana Boat Song” (“Day-O”), a Jamaican work song sung by dockworkers loading bananas. The album was criticized as not being true calypso however, and the commercial nature of Belafonte’s music was parodied in the 1957 Broadway musical Jamaica.
1956 also saw the arrival of The Mighty Sparrow, a dominate force in the genre even today. His song “Jean and Dinah” celebrated the departure of U.S. servicemen from Trinidad after World War II with lyrics such as “Yankee gone, Sparrow take over now”. “Jean and Dinah” marked the beginning of a powerfully political calypso which became aligned with the People’s National Movement party and was influential in Trinidad gaining independence from Britain in 1962.
Other significant figures include Lord Shorty, credited with fusing calypso with Trinidadian Indian chutney rhythms to form soca, and King Short Shirt, a calypso powerhouse from the island of Antigua. Like The Mighty Sparrow, King Short Shirt’s music often contained sharp political and social commentary, such as “Nobody Run Me” and “Hands Off” but also celebrated local celebrities, such as “Vivian Richards”, a noted Antiguan cricket player. Like Sparrow, King Short Shirt still performs and records today.
While calypso has traditionally been male dominated, some outstanding female figures have emerged in the genre. Most notable among them is Calypso Rose, who rose to fame in the 1960’s and remains popular today with anthems such as “Fire in Me Wire”. Other successful women artists include Singing Francine and Singing Sandra.
References:
Calypsoworld.org
Alana Tutwiler - Alana Tutwiler is a Contributing Writer for Suite101.com. She has a bachelor's degree in Special Education from the University of North ...
